Medical marijuana activists say they expect the U.S. Department of Justice at any moment to issue a statement clarifying the federal government’s stance toward state-sanctioned medical marijuana programs – like the one approved by Arizona voters last year, but which remains in jeopardy as lawsuits surrounding its legality play out.

Arizona Capitol Times reporter Evan Wyloge talks about the latest lawsuit being filed over Arizona's new medical marijuana law and what it means for the heating legal battle that will play out over the next several months.

Scottsdale has granted permits to six applicants seeking to open medical-marijuana dispensaries and cultivation sites. The move comes after the state recently halted the dispensary-application process after filing a lawsuit in federal court to determine whether Arizona's medical-marijuana law conflicts with federal drug statutes.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder promised Thursday to clarify the Justice Department's position on state medical marijuana laws after federal prosecutors warned they might prosecute everyone from licensed growers to regulators.

The lobby of the Health Department building turned into a stage for an episode of theatrics this morning, as DHS director Will Humble rejected the first medical marijuana dispensary applicant and then had to offer a defense for why he was doing so.